The global reach of human activities affects all natural ecosystems, so that the environment is best viewed as a social-–ecological system. Consequently, a more integrative approach to environmental ...science, one that bridges the biophysical and social domains, is sorely needed. Although models and frameworks for social-–ecological systems exist, few are explicitly designed to guide a long-term interdisciplinary research program. Here, we present an iterative framework, "“Press-–Pulse Dynamics"” (PPD), that integrates the biophysical and social sciences through an understanding of how human behaviors affect "“press"” and "“pulse"” dynamics and ecosystem processes. Such dynamics and processes, in turn, influence ecosystem services -–thereby altering human behaviors and initiating feedbacks that impact the original dynamics and processes. We believe that research guided by the PPD framework will lead to a more thorough understanding of social-–ecological systems and generate the knowledge needed to address pervasive environmental problems.
The solar neighbourhood is the closest and most easily studied sample of the Galactic interstellar medium, an understanding of which is essential for models of star formation and galaxy evolution. ...Observations of an unexpectedly intense diffuse flux of easily absorbed 1/4-kiloelectronvolt X-rays, coupled with the discovery that interstellar space within about a hundred parsecs of the Sun is almost completely devoid of cool absorbing gas, led to a picture of a 'local cavity' filled with X-ray-emitting hot gas, dubbed the local hot bubble. This model was recently challenged by suggestions that the emission could instead be readily produced within the Solar System by heavy solar-wind ions exchanging electrons with neutral H and He in interplanetary space, potentially removing the major piece of evidence for the local existence of million-degree gas within the Galactic disk. Here we report observations showing that the total solar-wind charge-exchange contribution is approximately 40 per cent of the 1/4-keV flux in the Galactic plane. The fact that the measured flux is not dominated by charge exchange supports the notion of a million-degree hot bubble extending about a hundred parsecs from the Sun.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
STING-associated vasculopathy with onset in infancy (SAVI) is a type 1 interferonopathy manifesting as a pulmonary and vascular syndrome resulting from gain-of-function mutations in TMEM173, the gene ...encoding STING. Familial reports in the literature are sparse.
We report a case series of SAVI in a three generation kindred, with a phenotype of interstitial lung disease (ILD) and rheumatoid factor positive polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Current and historical medical records were reviewed for clinical and laboratory information. Whole blood from cases 1 and 2, plus stored appendicectomy tissue from case 3, underwent DNA sequencing of the TMEM173 gene. Peripheral blood RNA was obtained from cases 1 and 2 for functional assessment of the TMEM173 mutation. DNA sequencing identified the same heterozygous TMEM173 mutation (c.463G > A; p.Val155Met) in all three cases, consistent with a diagnosis of the autosomal dominant condition SAVI. Functional assessment of this mutation identified a prominent interferon signature which was confirmed on repeat testing.
SAVI presented in this family as ILD with early onset juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. This condition should be considered in all rheumatoid arthritis patients with early-onset ILD and in all JIA patients with ILD.
► We introduced a monthly water partition and balanced (Wapaba) model. ► It outperformed two other monthly models on 331 Australian catchments. ► It performed comparably or better than two daily ...water balance models. ► The monthly model has not been disadvantaged for not using daily inputs. ► The finding supports the use of monthly models for a range of hydrological applications.
A monthly water partition and balance model, Wapaba, based on the Budyko framework model is introduced and applied to over three hundred Australian catchments. The model uses consumption curves to partition water to a number of components according to supply and demand and to represent spatial and temporal heterogeneity of catchment processes in a parsimonious formulation. The Wapaba model was benchmarked against the well known abcd monthly water balance model as well as the original monthly Budyko framework model and found to outperform both on the Australian catchments. The Wapaba model was also compared with two daily water balance models widely used in Australia. It had validation performance comparable to or better than the daily water balance models in simulating monthly runoff on the Australian catchments. This indicates that the monthly model has not been disadvantaged for not using the within-month temporal sequences of the forcing variables. The finding supports the use of monthly water balance models for applications where one is primarily interested in monthly, seasonal and annual streamflow volumes or where daily input data are not readily available.
To study the risk factors for the development of moyamoya syndrome after cranial irradiation for primary brain tumors in children.
We reviewed neuroimaging studies and dosimetry data for 456 children ...who were treated with radiation for a primary brain tumor and who were prospectively evaluated with serial neuroimaging studies and neurologic evaluations. A total of 345 patients had both adequate neuroimaging and radiation dosimetry data for further analysis. We used survival analysis techniques to examine the relationship of clinically important variables as risk factors for the development of moyamoya over time.
Overall, 12 patients (3.5%) developed evidence of moyamoya. The onset of moyamoya was more rapid for patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) (median of 38 vs 55 months) and for patients who received >5,000 cGy of radiation (median of 42 vs 67 months). In a multiple Cox proportional hazards regression analysis controlling for age at start of radiation, each 100-cGy increase in radiation dose increased the rate of moyamoya by 7% (hazard ratio HR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.13, p = 0.01) and the presence of NF1 increased the rate of moyamoya threefold (HR = 3.07, 95% CI: 0.90 to 10.46, p = 0.07).
Moyamoya syndrome is a potentially serious complication of cranial irradiation in children, particularly for those patients with tumors in close proximity to the circle of Willis, such as optic pathway glioma. Patients who received higher doses of radiation to the circle of Willis and with neurofibromatosis type 1 have increased risk of the development of moyamoya syndrome.
A deep ALMA image of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field Dunlop, J. S; McLure, R. J; Biggs, A. D ...
Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
04/2017, Letnik:
466, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Abstract
We present the results of the first, deep Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) imaging covering the full ≃4.5 arcmin2 of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF) imaged with Wide Field Camera ...3/IR on HST. Using a 45-pointing mosaic, we have obtained a homogeneous 1.3-mm image reaching σ1.3 ≃ 35 μJy, at a resolution of ≃0.7 arcsec. From an initial list of ≃50 > 3.5σ peaks, a rigorous analysis confirms 16 sources with S
1.3 > 120 μJy. All of these have secure galaxy counterparts with robust redshifts (〈z〉 = 2.15). Due to the unparalleled supporting data, the physical properties of the ALMA sources are well constrained, including their stellar masses (M
*) and UV+FIR star formation rates (SFR). Our results show that stellar mass is the best predictor of SFR in the high-redshift Universe; indeed at z ≥ 2 our ALMA sample contains seven of the nine galaxies in the HUDF with M
* ≥ 2 × 1010 M⊙, and we detect only one galaxy at z > 3.5, reflecting the rapid drop-off of high-mass galaxies with increasing redshift. The detections, coupled with stacking, allow us to probe the redshift/mass distribution of the 1.3-mm background down to S
1.3 ≃ 10 μJy. We find strong evidence for a steep star-forming ‘main sequence’ at z ≃ 2, with SFR ∝M
* and a mean specific SFR ≃ 2.2 Gyr−1. Moreover, we find that ≃85 per cent of total star formation at z ≃ 2 is enshrouded in dust, with ≃65 per cent of all star formation at this epoch occurring in high-mass galaxies (M
* > 2 × 1010 M⊙), for which the average obscured:unobscured SF ratio is ≃200. Finally, we revisit the cosmic evolution of SFR density; we find this peaks at z ≃ 2.5, and that the star-forming Universe transits from primarily unobscured to primarily obscured at z ≃ 4.
This review will focus on two general approaches carried out at the
Sandler Center, University of California, San Francisco, to address the
challenge of developing new drugs for the treatment of ...Chagas disease.
The first approach is target-based drug discovery, and two specific
targets, cytochrome P450 CYP51 and cruzain (aka cruzipain), are
discussed. A "proof of concept" molecule, the vinyl sulfone
inhibitor K777, is now a clinical candidate. The preclinical assessment
compliance for filing as an Investigational New Drug with the United
States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is presented, and an outline
of potential clinical trials is given. The second approach to
identifying new drug leads is parasite phenotypic screens in culture.
The development of an assay allowing high throughput screening of
Trypanosoma cruzi amastigotes in skeletal muscle cells is presented.
This screen has the advantage of not requiring specific strains of
parasites, so it could be used with field isolates, drug resistant
strains or laboratory strains. It is optimized for robotic liquid
handling and has been validated through a screen of a library of
FDA-approved drugs identifying 65 hits.
The artificial sweetener sucralose has been in use in Canada and the US since about 2000 and in the EU since 2003, and is now ubiquitous in sanitary wastewater in many parts of the world. It persists ...during sewage treatment and in surface water environments and as such, has been suggested as a powerful tracer of wastewater. In this study, longer-term persistence of sucralose was examined in groundwater by undertaking a series of three sampling snapshots of a well constrained wastewater plume in Canada (Long Point septic system) over a 6-year period from 2008 to 2014. A shrinking sucralose plume in 2014, compared to earlier sampling, during this period when sucralose use was likely increasing, provides clear evidence of degradation. However, depletion of sucralose from a mean of 40 μg/L in the proximal plume zone, occurred at a relatively slow rate over a period of several months to several years. Furthermore, examination of septic tank effluent and impacted groundwater at six other sites in Canada, revealed that sucralose was present in all samples of septic tank effluent (6–98 μg/L, n = 32) and in all groundwater samples (0.7–77 μg/L, n = 64). Even though sucralose degradation is noted in the Long Point plume, its ubiquitous presence in the groundwater plumes at all seven sites implies a relatively slow rate of decay in many groundwater septic plume environments. Thus, sucralose has the potential to be used as an indicator of ‘recent’ wastewater contamination. The presence of sucralose identifies groundwater that was recharged after 2000 in Canada and the US and after 2003 in the EU and many Asian countries.
•The artificial sweetener, sucralose, degrades in a groundwater plume.•Degradation occurs slowly over a period of several months to several years.•In six other septic system plumes sucralose was present in every sample.•Sucralose identifies wastewater contamination that has occurred after 2000.
In the wake of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and unprecedented global demand, clinicians are struggling to source adequate access to personal protective equipment. Respirators can be in short supply, ...though are necessary to protect workers from SARS-CoV-2 exposure. Rapid decontamination and reuse of respirators may provide relief for the strained procurement situation.
In this study, we investigated the suitability of 70°C dry heat and microwave-generated steam (MGS) for reprocessing of FFP2/N95-type respirators, and Type-II surgical face masks. Staphylococcus aureus was used as a surrogate as it is less susceptible than enveloped viruses to chemical and physical processes.
We observed >4 log10 reductions in the viability of dry S. aureus treated by dry heat for 90 min at 70°C and >6 log10 reductions by MGS for 90 s. After 3 reprocessing cycles, neither process was found to negatively impact the bacterial or NaCl filtration efficiency of the respirators that were tested. However, MGS was incompatible with Type-II surgical masks tested, as we confirmed that bacterial filtration capacity was completely lost following reprocessing. MGS was observed to be incompatible with some respirator types due to arcing observed around some types of metal nose clips and by loss of adhesion of clips to the mask.
Considering the advantages and disadvantages of each approach, we propose a reprocessing personal protective equipment/face mask workflow for use in medical areas.
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